When you think of Rimini, you probably think of young party people going to clubs to get drunk. Rimini is famous for its big clubs and long beach. However, after living in Rimini for half a year, I think that Rimini has so much more to offer and is definitely worth a visit. In this blog I am going to share my favourite spots of Rimini and why Rimini is also worth a visit during the winter
Rimini: not just beach and clubs
Maybe not a lot of people might know that Rimini not only has a beach, it also has a very cute and old city centre. One of my favourite parts of Rimini is the area around the Ponte di Tiberio. This old bridge has 5 arches and was finished already 20 AD. When you cross this bridge coming from the city centre and immediately turn right you will arrive in my favourite street of Rimini called Via Marecchia. This little street has the cutest little pastel coloured houses like pink, yellow and blue. The flowers outside the windows of these houses and the wall paintings are the finishing touch.
During my time in Rimini I loved walking through this little street and watching the houses. At the end of the street you can turn right again and here is a bridge build on the water from where you can have a beautiful view on the Ponte di Tiberio and some of the cute houses. When you go back to the Ponte di Tiberio you will see on your left hand side a nice park, take the stairs down and you will see another nice wall painting. In spring and summer this park is very popular for chilling in the grass and enjoying the sun.
Arco di Augusto and surroundings
Another main sight of Rimini is the Arco di Augusto, which is located on the other side of the city. When you go through this arch you will see a big nice park that leads all the way to the beach. Everyday we walked through the park and underneath the arch which functioned as a gate to the city.
After this arch you will find two main squares: Piazza Tre Martiri and Piazza Cavour. You can recognize Piazza Tre Martiri by its big sun on the ground and the tower: Torre dell’Orologio. If you are coming from the Arco di Augusto and you reach the Piazza Tre Martiri and you turn right, you will reach the Tempio Malatestiano. If you reach the square from the arch and you go straight, you will reach Piazza Cavour. This square is surrounded by an old theatre: Teatro Amintore Galli and a building of what I think is the municipality building of Rimini. In the middle of the square you will find a nice fountain and on the opposite side of the municipality building you will see the Antica Pescheria, or what we always called ‘La Cantinetta’. In the early days this functioned as a fish marketplace, now it is used for nights out and meeting up with friends.
Piazza Tre Martiri
Why come to Rimini in the winter?
During the winter, the clubs alongside the beach close, the beach is not filled with sunbeds anymore and most of the tourists are gone, but the young people still want to party somewhere. This is the moment that going out moves from the beachside (with clubs like Coconuts or Carnaby) to the city centre to the old fish market. Here there are little bars like Neropaco, Guenda and Vinolta where you can have a nice drink and dance. On busy days the bars are packed with people and the fish market gets filled with people chatting outside. This felt so much cosier than going to the big clubs.
Besides going out in the winter, the city also gets fully decorated with Christmas lights. Big Christmas trees are put on every square and all the streets are lit by little lights. Rimini turned into a magical place during the winter and the good thing is: you can still enjoy world’s best ice cream!
